GambleAware outlines link between mental health and gambling harm

GambleAware has published its latest study looking into the relationship between mental health and gambling-related harm. The study was conducted on behalf of the organization by Alma Economics, which leveraged GambleAware’s comprehensive Annual GB Treatment and Support Survey.

According to the research, GambleAware and Alma Economics believe that there is a statistically relevant data that gambling harm leads to worsening of mental health. The severity of a person’s problem gambling habits is based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).

The higher the PGSI is, the higher the chances of a person suffering from a mental health condition is. GambleAware’s study revealed that 47% of the people who are diagnosed with the most serious of gambling harm, characterized as PGSI 8+ based on the scale, are also the most likely to have a severe mental health issue.

Even people who rank PGSI 1+ on the same scale are four times more likely than non-gambling people to have some form of mental health distress. According to the research, this was most commonly to do with suicidal thoughts – with 26% of PGSI 1+ individuals experiencing such thoughts versus 6% of people who didn’t gamble.

GambleAware Chief Executive Zoë Osmond spoke about the latest research and outlined its significance and what it means for medical practitioners and gambling support organizations. According to Osmond, this fresh understanding of the causal relationship could help come up with individualized treatment plans that are effective.

Depending on what mental health condition a person is suffering from, they may get the appropriate help they need to move past both problem gambling and their mental distress. Importantly, mental health issues because of gambling do not pertain to just the person experiencing them, but also to those in their immediate family and social circle.

"Our findings suggest that gambling harms not only affect the individual, but also the mental health of those around them," Osmond said. Alma Economics Managing Director Nick Spyropoulos was similarly excited about the partnership and said that he was pleased to be able to provide these findings, opening a fresh chapter in people’s understanding of the link between gambling harm and mental health.

"This research can help us learn more about the link between gambling harms and poor mental health and what can be done to help people receive the support they need going forward," Spyropoulos said. Another suggestion outlined by the research is that the causal relationship may be a two-way street, with those experiencing a mental health problem ending up gambling, and gambling in a more aggressive and riskier way, too.

Image credit: Unsplash.com